MOBILE, Alabama -- The Alabama State Port Authority planned to suspend operations early Tuesday in advance of a surge of wintry cold that meteorologists expected to reach as far south as the Gulf Coast, possibly unleashing sleet and snow.

Jimmy Lyons, chief executive officer for the Port Authority, said in a released statement that only “essential operations personnel will report to work in the morning for last minute facility preparations and then we expect to release those employees by mid-morning.”

The Port Authority’s public seaport terminals will close at 7 a.m. and will remain closed until further notice, officials said, but the police force was expected to stay on duty during the inclement weather.

“The port’s closing is intended to keep our port community safe during this storm and we will reopen the port as soon as conditions allow” Lyons said in a released statement.

The safety precautions come as many cities in the state are hunkering down. Mobile and Baldwin Counties were expected to receive 0.5 to 0.6 inches of ice accumulation, according to the National Weather Service.